


ethereal

by eup_horic



Category: Hooky (Webcomic)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21771628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eup_horic/pseuds/eup_horic
Summary: Damien’s felt empty before. Many times in the castle when he was just a pawn for the king. His existence meant little in the grand scheme of things. Now he’s surrounded by people who love him, who care for him and his well being. He has no idea why he feels so bleak, so empty and deprived, so cold.- In which Damien breaks down after a long day.
Relationships: William/Damien Wytte
Comments: 13
Kudos: 119





	ethereal

**Author's Note:**

> This is set to be a few chapters back! Right after Dani comes back except Damien and William don't talk.

The moonlight illuminated Damien’s face nearly perfectly allowing him to see most of his facial features. To be quite frank he looked like a dying man which, to be fair, was almost expected. Amidst all the chaos unfolding around him, he’d barely been remembering to take care of himself. It had mostly been because of William constantly reminding and reprimanding him about his self-destructive habits he’d sometimes remember to eat or sleep. Yet still, he looked as if he hadn’t eaten in days, how his slender frame was thining shown that. The deep circles decorating his under eyes outlined the little sleep he had been getting these past years, at this point he wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped dead.

The previous days have been nothing but exhausting. Rebuilding the village took a lot more effort then he intended it to. By the end, the soles of his feet were rubbed red and sore. 

A heavy sigh left his lips, there was still so much left to repair in the village. Tomorrow he’d have to work harder.

Grimly, Damien pinched out the candle flame and turned the old mirror away from him.

He should feel happy; Dani was back to her old self and all they needed to do was heal Nico and repair the village. Truly, he doesn’t know he feels so empty. He’s overworked himself harder in battles to the point where he’s collapsed. If repairing a broken village is making him feel this weak he’s more pathetic then he thought.

Pushing himself away from the dresser, Damien curled in on Dani’s old sheets. 

Damien’s felt empty before. Many times in the castle when he was just a pawn for the king. His existence meant little in the grand scheme of things. Now he’s surrounded by people who love him, who care for him and his well being. He has no idea why he feels so bleak, so empty and deprived, so _cold_. 

He feels his nails digging into his skin leaving blue crescent moons behind. He wants to vomit. He wants to claw at himself until he’s nothing but a pile of bones; empty, unfeeling, _dead_.

How good it would be to just feel nothing. No sadness or fear, sometimes he selfishly envies Dani’s old state. To be free of worries, a blank canvas for even just one day. Damien thinks he’d deserve the break.

The thought about forgetting Will however, all the moments he treasured gone from his mind makes Damien sick to his stomach. He could never do that to himself or William. They need each other, that’s how it’s always been.

But then comes the thought of whether William would be okay if Damien just suddenly disappeared, then Damien finds himself burying his head into the pillow trying to suppress the onslaught of tears threatening to rain down.

He knows damn well he’d spend his entire life looking for Will if he were to go missing. Just the idea of Will’s life not even changing if Damien were to disappear leaves a disgusting feeling in his stomach and a ball inside his throat. Not that he’d even blame him, life goes on after all. He wouldn’t be surprised if he were to leave tonight anyone would notice.

The knock on the door was so soft that if Damien hadn’t momentarily stopped crying to catch his breath he most definitely wouldn’t have heard it. Harshly wiping the tears from his eyes, Damien sat up and cleared his throat.

”Hello?” It was too late for anyone to be up, which immediately set Damien on edge. There wasn’t even a reply, just another knock on the door except for this time, a little harsher.

Swinging his legs over, Damien slipped off the bed and cautiously made his way over to the door. If the situation wasn’t eerie enough, the chilly air that seeped through the windows made sure to dampen the mood even more.

Cracking the door a fraction open, Damien was surprised to see William himself standing with his fist raised mid knock. Of course, the universe hates him, the one person he wasn’t to keen on seeing had to show up at his door. Then again, he wasn’t too surprised. William always had a weird way of telling whether he was in a bad mood or not, regardless of whether they were in the same room.

“William,” Damien clears his throat once more “what brings you here?” They both know the answer, the moonlight illuminating Damien’s face speaks for itself.

“Nightmares.” A blatant lie, Will hasn’t had nightmares in years. “Uhm can I come in?”

Damien should say no. With his deteriorating mental health, he shouldn’t have William close to him so soon before he does something he might regret. But then again, he’s always had a hard time saying no to him.

”Of course.”

Damien has no idea how he looks right now, presumably bad judging on how Will hasn’t cracked a smile since he got here. They sit side by side on the bed, Damien could feel Will’s eyes boring into the side of his head.

The tension is thick, neither of them is willing to break the silence. Damien almost wishes he’d slam the door in Will’s face instead of letting him in like an _idiot_. They weren’t kids anymore, things now were a lot more complicated. 

“Are you okay?” Damien flinches at the softness in Will’s voice. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve anything Will gives him. His vision begins to blur as he swallows the heavy sack in his throat. 

“I'm fine. Are you? You’re the one knocking at my door at 3 in the morning.” He forces out a joking tone; unsurprisingly, Will doesn’t laugh. His face remains eerily unreadable, unnerving Damien to his very core.

A shiver runs down Damien’s spine. There was no way around this was there? Not with William. Taking a deep breath, he begins to clear his throat.

”I was just uh—I was just thinking. Ya’know about...about everything. About...” He squeezes his eyes shut, the ‘us’ is left unsaid. ”You’re king and—and you have Monica and everyone else I just...I fear you won't need me anymore..”

“Damien I-“

”Silly isn’t it? I’m holding onto the stupid dream that in the future it’ll be us when one day you’ll find someone better and I’ll be here, by myself.”

And fuck it, because he’s already far enough down the rabbit hole.

”My stupid feelings for you are growing and it’s so selfish and _stupid_ for me to think that I’ll still be by your side.” The tears feel hot against his cheeks, Damien doesn’t think he’s ever felt so numb. “I'm so in love with you it’s killing me.”

The silence makes his heart-ache, it’s nothing but his pathetic sobs filling his ears. For all, he knows William could’ve stood up and left and he’s talking to empty space.

Damien presses the balls of his palms hard into his eyes until he sees stars. He’s fucked up, big time; the fact he doesn’t even feel William’s comforting arms around him hurts the most.

He wants to take it back, take it all back. Tell Will that he’s fine if he leaves him. That he’ll enjoy the few moments they have together as long as he still _looks_ at him the same. Damien forces his mind to go blank. To feel nothing. He doesn't want to see the confusion, or maybe even disgust on his childhood lover's face. His heart pounds against his ribs, threatening to burst as the blood in his veins sing. It's all too much. He’s never felt so weak in his life. He should’ve known it would end out this way, and a violent though surges through his head, that it should be him buried beneath the soil instead of his father.

Then there’s warmth.

Strong arms, pulling Damien towards a familiar chest and holding him in a tight embrace. Damien had to bite his lip to keep himself from letting out another sob. Will’s fingers ran through his hair, pushing away his bangs from his face. Damien leaned into the touch, burying his face into William’s arm and letting out a painful hitch.

He really didn’t deserve Will.

”Dames,” Will starts and guides Damien’s face up by his cheek to look at him. “Have you really felt like this all the time?”

Damien keeps his gaze downcast. The last thing he wanted is to dump all of his emotional pain onto William. Still, he nods.

Will’s gaze softens and holds Damien’s face firmly with his hands. “Damien, I...” His eyes squeeze shut as he gently presses their foreheads together. “You have no idea how blessed I am to have you by my side. Through all these years I’ve..”

“...Maybe through all this time, it’s been so simple. After today..the way they looked at me. Maybe I can fulfill my duties and live the life I desire..a life with you. Fuck Damien; I’m in love with you. I love you so much it hurts. You always keep me wanting more and shit maybe I’ve loved you since I first met you.”

None of this could be real. Damien must be dreaming. He’s never seen William look so serious, green eyes blazing with such passion. His heart wrenches in his chest, tears almost start flooding out again.

”There’s no way..this can’t be real. Are you lying to me for my sake? If you are please just tell me now, I don't think I can take it."

He feels himself being guided onto his back; William's weight pressing down on his chest and warm hands on his shoulders. A similar position from a few nights ago, except this time it's a lot more intimate. Will looks at him for a solid moment, before leaning down and closing the space between them. Damien's whole world shifts.

There is no hesitation, he's kissing William back and nothing ever felt so right. 

The soft press of lips, the warm feeling coiling in Damien's gut, the scene is too perfect. A moment he's dreamed about many times before. It's all gentle, there's no intense passion behind it, everything chaste and sweet. Will breaks away only to kiss every feature on Damien's face. His eyes, the tip of his nose, his cheeks- all while whispering sweet things. It's a little embarrassing, so much attention makes Damien want to bury his face in a pillow and hide. Will laughs at his flushed face and obvious embarrassment. The scene seems so surreal, Damien starts to wonder if this really _was_ a dream in disguise. But the way Will's eyes gleam reassure him, and Damien allows a genuine smile to grace his face.

Despite the cold temperature in the room, William's warmth kept Damien whole, and there was truly no place in the world he'd rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, leave a comment if you want, I'd love to talk! :)  
> Any criticisms?


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